Red Dirt Run of Honor-An Adventure in Enid, OK

For the last six months, fellow tweep and runner Glenn McDaniel (@mcdanielg) has been rallying Twitterverse to join him in the first annual Red Dirt Run of Honor-5K and Half Marathon in Enid, OK. Never being a fan of Oklahoma (sorry, my heart belongs to Texas) and not sure of how my body would feel after running the Heels and Hills Half on May 2nd, I committed to go support my friend Glenn as he was getting ready to embark on a new role for him: Race Director.

The race was set for Saturday, May 29th in Enid, OK. Knowing that I would have to leave Dallas a day before the event, fellow tweeps and runners Suann (@ladysuann) and Marci (@diva_marci) made hotel arrangement for us. Before this day, I was not committed to run this event, however, as I was packing my bag, I decided to grab all my running gear just in case I decided to run.

Enid is approximately a four hour drive from Dallas. As I continued to drive North on I-35 and listening to classic country on my radio, my gut was telling me that I should run. I called Marci as I pulled into Enid and told her that I had my running gear. Marci laughed and asked me if I told our running coach, Jeff Kline (@coachprs). Responding with a laugh, Marci knew that I had not talked about it with Coach Jeff and that there was no turning back from my decision. I was going to RUN IT OUT.

Glenn had arranged a nice pasta dinner for us and a few local runners at an Italian restaurant, Panevino's Friday night. Its always a joy when you meet a person from Twitter for the first time. Glenn and I have been interacting through Twitter for the past nine months by offering each other encouragement, cheering each other on before races, and building a virtual support system with other runners. After eating dinner, Suann, Marci, and I headed back to the hotel for some rest.


As the clock striked 5:30AM on Saturday morning, Marci was up and prepping herself for her third half marathon. We met Suann for breakfast and then the three of us headed to Woodring Airport. As we headed to the starting line, all three of us could feel the heat from the Oklahoma sky. To say the least, we knew that this was going to be a HOT ONE.


















Glenn started the race by recognizing current and past members of our armed forces. When the whistle blew at 8:00AM, close to 70 participants in the half marathon took off and headed down one of the most interesting courses I have ever experienced. The majority of the course was either red dirt or gravel. Unlike Dallas/Ft. Worth running events, the race took you through the country which is a nice scenic change. I am a fan of trail running and I felt comfortable the entire run.

One of the best benefits to this race was the volunteers and water stations. Glenn had strategically planned 10 aid stations armed with the most supportive, encouraging faces in Enid. Each time I stopped, there were cheers and praises given to all of us as we proceeded forward in the heat.

Around mile 5, I befriend a local runner named Kate. Being her second half marathon, Kate and I kept each other company for two miles before she decided to walk. After I hit the mile 10 mark, Glenn pulled up next to me in his car to ensure that I was OK. At this point, I was feeling great and kept on moving. When I hit mile 12, I turned off the heart rate alerts on my garmin and finished the race at a 9:45 pace.

Overall, I had a great experience. Glenn did a great job and worked very hard to conduct a well, organized race. Although it was hotter than a cat on a tin roof, I find that small, intimate races like this one brings more of a sense of community. This race was designed not only to remember the troops that have paid the ultimate price for our freedom, it was also benefited the extension of the Woodring Wall of Honor Project. All half marathon participants received dog tags as the finish medal. I felt very proud to be apart of such an experience and honored that my friend Glenn invited us to join him.




I would recommend this race to any runner. It was great to get out of city and enjoy a nice run through the country.

Holy Snackpacks...Im running the full enchilada

Oprah was right when she said, "Running is the greatest metaphor for life, because you get out of it what you put into it."

Tomorrow starts a twenty week training program for the biggest running challenge for me to date: my first full marathon. On October 10, I will be one of thousands of runners that will flood the streets of Chicago for the Chicago Marathon. Having registered for this race over three months ago, the intensity and reality of it all did not hit me until this week after a live podcast with my running coach (@coachprs on Twitter) and a few teammates. After we logged off, I sat back on my couch and thought to myself, "Holy Snackpacks, I'm really going to run 26.2 miles. Not only am I going to run it, I'm going to kill it."

I never considered myself an athlete. Growing up with a super star, athletic twin, no one (including myself) perceived me to have any athletic capabilities. With this mindset, I staggered through the last 10 years never having a consistent healthy lifestyle until a year ago.

In April 2009, I ran my first 5k and became addicted to running. I'm not sure if it was the sense of accomplishment or the race environment that grabbed my motivation, however, from that day on I wanted to become a runner. Since then, I have ran six half marathons, a 20K, a 15K, and two 5Ks.

After all the hard work, I can tell you this: Running is the best metaphor for life for ME. I am not the same person I was a year ago. The confidence I have in myself to achieve anything in life has significantly increased. My relationships with my family and friends has improved because I started to believe in myself. More importantly, I have inspired others to change for the better.

Reflecting over the past year and feeling like a completely new and improved Kris, I can only imagine what training for Chicago will be like over the next twenty weeks. I'm excited and full of anticipation.